Welcome to Back to School Night Third Grade September 4, 2014

Math Our new math curriculum is based on the internationally-driven Common Core State Standards. The goal is for students to use math practices (UCARE) to develop deep understandings. UCARE stands for understanding, computing, applying, reasoning, and engaging

Math By the end of third grade, students are expected to develop the following deep understandings: –Understand properties of multiplication and the relationship between multiplication and division. –Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic. –Develop understanding of fractions as numbers. –Understand concepts of area and relate area to multiplication and to addition.

Mechanics Throughout the year students will work with spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar usage. These very important skills will help students become more proficient and competent writers. Much of this skill work will come in the form of mini-lessons or will be incorporated into Reading and Writing instruction.

Word Study This year 3 rd graders will participate in the Words Their Way word study program just as they did in 2 nd grade. This program is a student-centered approach to phonics, spelling and vocabulary instruction that actively engages the learner in constructing concepts about the way words work. Students will have the opportunity to construct their own word knowledge that they can then apply to their reading and writing. You will receive more detailed information about what this program will look like in the classroom when we begin in late September.

Writing There will be a heavy emphasis placed on writing in third grade. Students will be taught how to write strong, detailed paragraphs with main ideas and supporting details. We will concentrate on strong topic sentences and concluding sentences, as well as sensory words to describe things. Students will be learning how to use descriptive sensory details to enhance their writing.

Writing (Continued) During the year children will be taught and will write in the three intents: Narrative writing Informative writing Opinion writing

Writer’s Notebook Students will be writing in their writer’s notebook on a regular basis. Subjects for this notebook will include their thoughts, feelings, questions, lists, memories, etc. Students will only be turning in a few of their writer’s notebook entries into published pieces for each marking period.

Writing Instruction Instruction will be based on the writing workshop model. Mini lessons, independent and guided writing, conferencing, and sharing will provide opportunities for students to develop writing skills and strategies by spending ample time writing after a short mini-lesson. Instruction and analysis of writing will center on the following six traits: 1. sentence fluency 2. conventions 3. word choice 4. voice 5. organization 6. ideas

Reading In third grade, the reading program is composed of a variety of reading types. These include: Realistic Fiction Historical Fiction Poetry Plays Folktales Myths Non-fiction

Reading Strategies Making Connections – Activating relevant, prior knowledge before, during, and after reading text. (Text-to-Self, Text-to- Text, Text-to-World) Questioning – Asking questions of themselves, the authors, and the text before, during, and after reading. Determining Importance – Determining the most important ideas and themes in a text.

Reading Strategies (Continued) Visualization – Creating visual and other sensory images from the text during and after reading. Inferring - Using prior knowledge and textual information to draw conclusions, make predictions, create critical judgements, and form unique interpretations from text. Synthesizing - To monitor for overall meaning, important concepts, and themes in a text. To be aware of how text elements fit together, and to extend the literal meaning of a text to the inferential level.

The 90 Minute Block 20 – 30 minutes –Modeled or Shared Reading 60 – 70 minutes –Guided Reading –Independent Reading –Written Work Guided reading work Reading responses Poetry responses Literature circle work

Science In Science, third graders will learn about: Forces and Motion Properties of Matter Heat Energy Ecology

Social Studies Government-basic functions, roles in society, etc. Geography-comparing places and regions around the world Elements of multicultural settings - comparing and examining different cultures Money Management strategies-learning about producers, consumers, and budgets

T.A.T. (Tiger Achievement Time) Third Graders will have T.A.T. every day after lunch for minutes. Students will use this time to finish their class work, meet with their teacher for extra support, or read silently (self-selected reading).

Weekly Folder Your child will receive graded work in their folder every Thursday or Friday (depending on their teacher) Please sign and return the weekly folder the next day.

Testing The third graders will be taking the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) performance based assessment in March. They will take the PARCC end of the year assessment in May. The subjects that will be covered are math and reading.

Third Grade Website The third grade website is a valuable resource! You can find overviews of each subject area, information about Curriculum 2.0, and many other things. Please check it out!

One last note... We are truly thrilled to be teaching your child and thank you for giving us the opportunity to make a difference in his or her life. We know we will have a FABULOUS year together! Thank you for coming this evening!